There is no danger of a default happening in Greece in the near future so it does not need a third aid package, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said yesterday (4.03) during a speech at an event marking the 130-year anniversary of the Greek-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

There is an alternative plan if Greece doesn’t receive its loan installment in March, Varoufakis said: the government programme for the next four months combines ensuring funding from the EU and repaying debt installments towards the IMF and some bonds not included in the PSI.

Commenting on the upcoming Eurogroup on March 9, he said ministers will start debating Greece’s reform programme and will launch the process for a new agreement with its partners.

Greek News Agenda Greece @ Eurogroup: Talks Ongoing

On March 7, Greece will host the ceremony for Prix Galien Greece, dedicated to therapeutic research.

The International Galien Awards (Prix Galien) were established in France in 1970 by pharmacist Roland Mehl, promoting significant advances in pharmaceutical research. The Awards are named after Galen, a pioneer Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire, probably the most accomplished medical researcher of antiquity.

Therapeutic research is an expensive type of business requiring diligence, meticulousness and a lot of patience. Only one out of 10,000 medicines produced in vitro is eventually market-launched. As much as $27 billion are spent every year for the purpose of advancing therapeutic research. "Given the resources needed to produce a single medicine, it is understood why patents cost so much" says Dr. George Chrousos, a prominent clinical investigator. Greece has a low level of fund absorption for clinical research, amounting to a mere €80 million.

Greek scientist Eleni Antoniadou ranked third on the Forbes list of leading young people, under 30. In the 2015 30 Under 30 list, 27-year-old Antoniadou comes third in the field of healthcare; she is co-founder of the medical company Transplants Without Donors.

"Eleni Antoniadou is chasing one of the holy grails of biotechnology, namely, creating organs in the laboratory that could be transplanted into sick patients. Her company, Transplants without Donors has been run with tens of thousands of dollars from its founders since 2012. Now it is searching for angel investors to take it to the next level," says Forbes. Antoniadou does extensive research in nanosciences and regenerative medicine.

The Opera Chaotique band will perform in their hometown, Thessaloniki. The surreal stories of Opera Chaotiqure take shape in an explosive music and dance performance, inspired by the contemporary circus: Acrobats Etherika will take your breath away with their daring acrobatic acts and give life to the Phantom of the Opera, Mary Magdalene and the Girl in a Mini Skirt by Bukowski. The show will be held at the Mylos Club, Thessaloniki, on March 6.

In its 5th edition, the Borderline festival continues to explore contemporary experimental, acoustic and electronic music. The Festival, running at the Onassis Cultural Centre on March 6-8 and 11-12, is nourished by the continual search for new forms of expression and sound production, which transcend conventional structures; it focuses on experimentation, improvisation and a willingness to embrace risk and challenge listeners and artists alike. Parallel events include lectures, listening sessions, installations and many more.

The Netherlands Dance Theatre has gained enthusiasts in the Greek, and indeed the global audience. The leading contemporary dance troupe will be performing at the Athens Concert Hall, once again, from March 5-7. The repertoire includes the new creation by Leon and Lightfoot, Stop Motion, first presented in Holland on January 29, 2014.

Masterpieces of Japanese cinema will be screened at the Thessaloniki Film Archives on March 6 – 9. The programme will feature classic films like Tales of Moonlight and Rain by Ugetsu Monogatari, the Gate of Hell by Teinosuke Kinugasa, the Burmese Harp by Kon Ichikawa and Tokyo Story by Yasujirō Ozu. Film critic Thomas Linaras will deliver a lecture on Tokyo Story and Yasujirō Ozu on March 8.

Matriarchy, the new film by Nikos Cornelius will be screened at the Greek films Archives, Athens and at the Cinema Museum, Thessaloniki, from March 5. The film features 60 women, actors and activists, immigrants, refugees, poets, writers, of different ages, nationalities, social backgrounds, political beliefs and sexual orientation, attempting to redefine their position in a society structured on male reason.